Had been felling a bit rubbish during the week, enough to pull the pin on a multi dayer into Chammy country, went down to our country house for the weekend instead. Forecast was rain clearing around midday for the Saturday, decided I could manage an easy walkabout with no real attempt at actual hunting. Being a bit lazy about it, didn't leave home until after breakfast, arrived at the road end and sat in the truck for a minute or two looking at the rain, nearly changed my mind, but hardened up a bit and got rolling.
Saw a Fallow buck on the hill above the track as I plodded along, that cheered me up no end, after a bunch more plodding along getting proper wet, I'm looking down the hill at a farm fence and access gate across the track and decided there was something odd about the animal standing in the gate, no sheep in the area?, the rain making it a bit harder than usual to see any distance. Getting a bit closer I realized I was looking at a mob of Tahr, miles from any bluff systems or height of any description, stopped walking about 250yds out and decided I wasn't shooting anything, day just started, freezers full and I just couldn't be arsed - so I drop my pack and rifle and fossic out my phone and have a crack at seeing how close I can get just slow walking down the track taking pics with my phone, just coz, I was only 60/70 yds out before they decided they didn't like the look of me and buggered off.
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Carried on to a hut nearby to get a brew out of the rain, then headed off over a nearby hill as the weather began to show signs of clearing, as I was working my way up a narrow wee valley(more of a large gut at that point) a couple of wet looking young fellas came up over the saddle, as I diverted up the steeper sides to a spot I like for looking out from, I was thinking at the time, it's rained all night and morning, the sun is starting to break out, and you're leaving!?, acknowledge each other with the obligatory wave and carry on. Get to my lookout spot and get a brew going and start looking. brew wasn't boiled before I'm looking at three red hinds a couple of thousand yds away .
New plan. Brew done and I'm heading down into the valley checking every few minutes to make sure all is still good, my red friends vanish into some dead ground and do not re appear, I have the open ground covered all the way in and figure they have beaded up on one of the little warm faces in front. Two hundred yards out from where I think they are I put my pack down and gently sneak through the tussock, the gentle breeze being very helpfull, had to stop a few time when the breeze dropped, my wet weather pants making noise on the tussock, sneaked over the top, and nothing........ sneak up onto the next bank and nothing...... bugger it, they must have quietly exited stage left when I was in dead ground.
Oh well, time for a brew and a late lunch while I glass the guts out to the side, cover not very high so moving slow and low as I get my gear out to dry out and catch some sun, boots off, inner soles out, clothes laid out. Brew done, lunch eaten, time for a snooze! Wake up an hr later and have a bit of a glass and decide to sneak along the river and see whats up in the world, get dressed again, boots on pack on and walk off low profile and slow to get into the dead ground immediately in front of the river.
Well, as I moved over the drop to the river, multiple bambies explode out from underneath me exiting stage left and right, we had all been snoozing about 40 yds from each other for around an hr! No round in the chamber, hurridly crank one up and bring
the underpowered .270 to bear, the one I followed dropped into a dip as it raced for cover leaving only a head or neck shot, a 130 Hotcor connected solidly with it's scone and the young hind was dead before it piled into the ground.
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At 50 yds or so, I was lucky my scope was down at three power, open sights have their advantages. Flat ground, the sun was out, plenty of water handy, and a brew on, all rather good really, had forgotten about being a bit crook now. Shame I'd only bought my Twinneedle roll top pack, a bit short on room, but boning out helped. Regulation walk out, stopping for a brew and a rest, just generally looking about and deciding those of us that do this sort of thing, are really lucky. Life not in silly urban bubble or playstation perception of what life is actually about. Home in time for tea, and my big silly mutt who had apparently sulked all day was extra pleased to see me! Sunday I wasn't crook anymore, so the wife made me mow the lawns and fix a door!
